The invention relates to a method for packaging an elongate body, for example a stack of covers, comprising the following steps:
the providing of an elongate body for packaging;
the providing of a sheet of packaging material;
the wrapping of the body with the sheet of packaging material such that the sheet protrudes over a predetermined distance beyond at least one outer end of the body;
the folding over of the protruding part from two opposing sides to the relevant end face of the body such that two tapering flaps are formed,
in addition to a device for performing this method, which device comprises:
means for supplying the body,
means for supplying the sheet of packaging material,
means for wrapping of the body with the sheet of packaging material such that the sheet protrudes over a predetermined distance beyond at least one outer end of the body;
folding means for folding over of the protruding part from two opposing sides to the relevant end face of the body such that two tapering flaps are formed.
Such a method and device are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,248.
The invention has for its object to offer a method and device, using which a loop-shaped portion is present at at least one end of a packed body. The presence of such a loop can have the very practical advantage that the packed body is easily taken hold of, lifted up, transported and the like by an operative using two fingers or by a tool, while the loop further offers an easy gripping point for tearing open the packaging, something which has been a source of problems up to the present time, particularly in the case of packed stacks of covers.
In order to achieve this the invention proposes a method which adds the following step to those stated above: the connecting substantially to each other only of these two flaps. The above-mentioned device for performing the method is characterized in this respect by connecting means for connecting of these two flaps substantially to each other only.
The flaps can be joined to each other by stapling, glueing or other known techniques. Preferred, however, is the method in accordance with which the flaps are joined to each other by adhesive tape. Since in lengthwise direction the flaps lie a little further to the outside than the portion of the sheet of packaging material lying underneath, it is very easy to achieve hereby that only the flaps are joined to each other and remain joined.
A great strength of the loop and if necessary a greater reliability of the connection between the flaps is obtained with an embodiment of the method which has the feature that the strip of adhesive tape is applied such that it extends over both flaps and a part of the peripheral surface of the packaged elongate body.
Known from the above-mentioned U.S. patent is a device with conveyor means for transporting a wrapped body transversely to the longitudinal direction thereof after it has left the wrapping means, which conveyor means lead a wrapped body along the folding means such that the free ends of the two tapering flaps are situated in a plane lying transversely of the conveying direction. In accordance with the invention this device is now characterized by
a tongue extending between both flaps along the path defined by the conveyor means of the relevant end surface of the body, close to the side edges of which tongue, on the side away from the said path, fold guidings extend, which, as seen in the conveying direction, display a decreasing distance to the tongue such that the flaps of a supplied body are trained between the fold guidings and the tongue and are folded over to the relevant end face of the body; and
an adhesive tape station placed beyond the downstream end of the fold guidings, which station applies over the flaps of each body carried past by the conveyor means an adhesive strip, the strip extending in its longitudinal direction transversely of the transporting direction.
Very effective is the use of roller means for rolling press-on of the adhesive strip. Such a device can display the particular feature that
the adhesive tape station delivers an adhesive strip of predetermined length and applies a first portion of this adhesive strip over the end zone of the wrapped body adjacent to the flap;
the roller means comprise:
a first roll which can roll under pressure over that first end portion;
a second roll which can then roll under pressure over a central portion of the adhesive strip such that it adheres to the flaps; and
a third roll which can subsequently roll under pressure over the remaining end portion of the adhesive strip over the end zone adjacent to the other flap.
Such a device can in particular be embodied such that the first and second rolls are attached to both ends of a rocker arm that can be displaced at least roughly transversely of the conveying direction and the lengthwise direction of the body by means of displacing means, this arm being biased such that at the beginning of an adhesive tape application cycle the first roll is first operative and the second roll is placed relative to the flaps to be joined to each other such that it rolls under pressure with the increasing displacement of the displacement means over the flaps via the centre portion of the adhesive strip.
In order to realize the most effective possible press-on by the roller means and thereby adhesion of the adhesive tape to the packaging material, the device preferably displays the feature that each of the rolls possesses a form adapted to the shape of the relevant surface of the wrapped body. Since the form and the positioning of a wrapped elongate body may vary a little from case to case, a variant can advantageously be employed in which each of the rolls is capable of a certain free pivoting.
A preferred embodiment has the special feature that the conveyor means comprise a supporting face in which is situated at the location of the adhesive tape station a recess for the third roll. Preferably use is also made in this case of a displaceable support which, during the operation of the first roll, supports the end zone of the body above the recess and which is subsequently removed from this position to enable operation of the third roll.
In order to enable printing on the loop formed according to the invention on at least one end of the packed elongate body, use can be made of a printing station placed downstream relative to the connecting means for applying printed information, for example an article code, to an end face of a packaged body.
The invention will now be elucidated with reference to the accompanying drawings.